We've been following Fairhope Brewing Company's progress as they've worked diligently to open their brewery, looking forward to the day we could drop by and try their brews. Well, the wait is finally over. Fairhope Brewing Company will open for business this Sunday, January 6th at 4pm.

Two of their four announced flagship beers will be available. The following descriptions are from their website:

Everyday Ale

Fairhope Everyday Ale is made to pair with those gorgeous Eastern Shore days along the bay. Handcrafted with British Maris Otter malt and Kent Golding hops, this well-balanced English-style golden ale packs a lot of flavor into a beer without a lot of alcohol. (4% ABV)

Section Street Wheat

We thought we were settled on three year-round beers, but when the FBC founders tried the pilot batch of Section Street Wheat, we liked it so much that we added it to our regular lineup. It's a traditional wheat beer to the core, crafted with organic pilsner and wheat malts from Germany and a moderate dose of hops from the Czech Republic. German wheat yeast provides a distinctive flavor to the final product, which weighs in at 5 percent ABV.

They will also be open at 7:00 pm on Monday, January 7 with all four of their TV's tuned to the Alabama vs. Notre Dame BCS Championship game. Until their Grand Opening, they will continue to operate on a limited Happy Hour schedule of Thursday through Saturday from 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm.

Soon you will also be able to try their other two flagship brews, Painted Black IPA and Fairhope's No. 51. You can read more about all four of their flagship beers over on their website. They have also announced that in the future they will include a pilot series (special, limited edition styles, brewed in small quantities) of beer called the Jubilee Series.

FBC is located at 914 Nichols Avenue, Fairhope, AL (a block off Highway 98). You can find out much more about the brewery, the FBC team, their beer, and even buy FBC gear at their website. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

FBC will thankfully be filling the obvious lack of a craft brewery in Lower Alabama and is a welcome addition to the craft beer community in our region. If you can't make it Sunday, start planning now to make the trip to Fairhope and support this new local brewery.